I picked up these drawers on Freecycle. They were salvaged from the kitchen of a 1940s house that was demolished. My original plan was to put the drawers on wheels and use them as under-bed storage. Turns out, no two drawers are the same height, which would look janky. So I tried stacking them vertically instead (anchoring them to the wall, of course). You could also hang these drawers as individual shadowboxes. Read more »

Got a balcony or porch railing and some jam jars? This is a cheap and easy way to shed some light for trick-or-treaters, or just create a mood for nighttime porch sitting. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about the wind (or little feet) knocking them over. Read more »

Everyone knows necessity is the mother of invention. But, I’m here to say that mistakes can also be the mother of invention. My first spice rack attempt did not go so well. I used an old sketch and didn’t double-check the measurements. Consequently, the rack was too small to hold all my tins. So, what to do with this little shelf? As it happens, it’s the perfect size to hold baby food jars. Gathering 28 identical baby food jars was quite an undertaking. But two months later, thanks to Cathryn and Suzanne from FreeCycle, I finally had 28 matching jars. After removing all the labels, I spray painted the lids with primer and paint, then filled the jars with buttons, beads, etc. Click here for the spice rack how-to »

My old spice rack just wasn’t cutting it. I barely cook, but even I have accumulated more spices than what fit in those 12 small tins. I couldn’t find the right spice rack, so I created my own. And made room for expansion. Check out my odds & ends rack for a variation on this idea. Read more »